Grace Thompson
Research Mentor(s): Aarti Mathur
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Department of Human Genetics
Presentation Date: 08/03/2022
Presentation Type: Poster
Poster Number: 3
Session: Session I: 12:30 – 1:20pm
Room: League Ballroom
Authors: Emily Kirk1,2, Grace Clark2, Bala Bharathi Burugula2, Sajini Jayakody2, Shelby L Hemker2, and Jacob O Kitzman2,3
1 Jackson Community College, Jackson, MI
2 Department of Human Genetics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
3 Department of Computational Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Abstract
More than 70 million tons of hydrogen fuel are needed annually for various industrial processes, however 99% of this hydrogen is produced by coal and natural gas which are nonrenewable sources of greenhouse gasses. With increasing demands in energy and a desire to mitigate impacts of climate change, researching renewable and sustainable energy sources has become more valuable. One source of interest is solar energy, due to its decentralization and inexhaustibility. Photovoltaic cells, commonly found in solar panels, use solar energy to photocatalytically decompose water into hydrogen fuel and oxygen, as well as store energy that can be used in fuel cells to provide grid-scale power without releasing pollutants. However, there are currently no commercially practicable methods of doing so due to low efficiencies and poor stability. My work this summer with Aarti Mathur, PhD Candidate, has involved studying nickel nanoparticles, which can be used as catalysts in this system, and how deposition parameters (deposition time, deposition potential, and solution concentration) impact nanoparticle stability. Through a variety of testing conditions and the use of a solar light simulator, our results will contribute to the affordability and efficiency of future solar energy technologies.
